Scientists figured out three secrets of the past of Mars

American and Japanese scientists have solved three mysteries associated with the past of Mars, thus confirming the hypothesis that single blow that occurred 30 years ago. A study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters about it, reports the University of Colorado at boulder (USA).

The team was able to simultaneously explain the smooth and relatively young topography the Northern, more youthful, compared to the southern hemisphere, the high content of metals in the bowels of Mars, and the origin of Phobos and Deimos, the two satellites of the planet.

Scientists believe that approximately 4,43 billion years ago a celestial body (not less than 1.2 thousand kilometers in diameter, bigger than Ceres) collided with Mars near its Northern hemisphere. This led to the deformation of the planet in the region (so he was younger than southern hemisphere) and entered into the bowels of the planet metals (currently they account, scientists estimate that up to 0.8 percent of the mass of the planet), as well as the formation after the impact, emerged from the fragments of the satellites.

To such conclusions scientists have come, having assessed according to the available fragments fall to Earth of Martian meteorites, the fraction of metals (primarily platinum, osmium and iridium) in the total mass of the red planet. Then, using computer simulations they also determined the parameters of a celestial body, collision with which would have led to the currently observed effects.